Tag: Why Things Are the Way They Are

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Folktales

The Importance of Women

At the beginning of the world God made three men; he sent them to live on earth, and they dwelt in three different places. One man became a hunter, the second was a traveler, and the third settled on good land and began a farm.

After a time God summoned the three men to him, and said he would grant each of them one gift. He asked them what they wanted.

The hunter said he wished to have a dog to help him hunt. The traveler wanted a horse. The farmer said he was lonely living by himself, and asked for a woman to keep his company and help him with his work. God granted these three gifts and the men returned to their homes.

The traveler rode his horse to many distant places and was quite often happy; and yet he felt his life was not complete. The hunter lived in the forest and hunted with his dog, and he also knew a measure of happiness — but he wondered why he sometimes felt sad and discontented. Both of these men decided to visit the farmer, who lived with his women in a fertile place.

The hunter went with his dog, and the traveler rode his horse. They found the farmer at his home, living contentedly with his wife and two baby children who were his greatest treasures.

The two visitors saw that the woman brought water, cut wood, cooked food and cared for the home and was always good and gentle; they realized too that with his family at his side the farmer was never lonely, and sadness was a stranger to his house.

They admired the farmer’s woman and small children, and knew they would also have to have such things if their lives were to be rich and filled with joy.

The hunter and the traveler went to God, and asked him to take the dog and the horse and give them women instead. God changed the two beasts into woman, so that the two men each had a wife.

The farmer’s wife was a peaceful woman of good heart and with a will to work; she was the mother of all such women in the world.

The woman who came from the horse was greedy, willful, and could not be trusted; and she was the mother of all such women in the world today.

The woman who came from the dog was spiteful, noisy and always making palaver; and she let strange men follow her about. She was the mother of all such women in the world today.

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Folktales

How a Bushdevil Was Danced to Death

A Bushdevil wandered through the forest until he came to a place where two paths crossed; and here he made his home. This was a bad thing for the people who used these paths, for Bushdevils are wicked and devour human beings.

When anyone came to the crossroads the Bushdevil would jump out of his hole in the ground, holding a drum under his arm. He would begin beating the drum, and command the wayfarer to dance.

“Dance, O man! Dance, and I will drum for you — and he who tires first must die!”

The unfortunate traveler, be he man or woman or child, would be obliged to dance a Dance of Death; for invariably the dancer tired first, and was killed and eaten by the Bushdevil.

In a nearby town there were two twins; and, as all men know, twins often have unusual powers. They make fine magicians and medicine men, they are wise in telling fortunes and know the use of herbs and poison.

This pair of twins decided they would outwit and kill the Bushdevil, who had killed many people from their town and they left their town one morning to see what they could do. One of them crept ahead softly, softly, and hid behind an anthill close to the Bushdevil’s hole, and then his brother boldly approached singing in a pleasant song.

The Bushdevil heard him coming and jumped from his hold.

“Ho! he cried in great delight. He had not seen a man for days. “Ho, young man. Come and dance for me! Bushdevil began tampering excitedly with his drum.

“Thank you, sir,” said the lad. “It is a fine morning for a dance — play on!”

The Bushdevil threw back his herd and laughed at such insolence.

“Do you know, youth, that the one of us who tires first must die?”

“Fine,” said the twin. That means the other one will Live“ He danced and danced to the Bushdevil’s drumming, and when he was tired he skipped behind the anthill and his brother skipped out in his place. In this fashion the twins danced for three whole days; whenever one was dancing the other one was resting.

The Bushdevil was astonished to see, so he thought, one man danced on and on, day and night, and he himself grew tired. The twins kept changing places. The Bushdevil dropped, and wilted, and at last he fell exhausted on the ground.

The twins killed Bushdevil by cutting off his head; they impaled the head on a stake and carried it into town, and there it stayed as a warning to all devils that twins lived in that place and would tolerate no wicked deviltry.

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Folktales

Eagle, Doo-Doo, and Rice Bird

In other days Eagle, Doo-Doo and the Rice Bird were good friends, and they would build their nests close to each other. During Hungry Season Eagle called her two friends and said:

“Hungry time is with us again, and we three must work together if we are to find enough to eat, and raise our families as well. I suggest that we take turns in hunting food.”

The two small birds nodded their agreement, for Eagle was a wise bird and they respected her judgment. But the little black and yellow Rice Bird remarked sadly:

“Eagle, your idea is good; but I am a small-small bird. When my turn comes to hunt for food how will I bring enough? I can barely keep my own family alive. Would it not be better if you search for food and I guard your eggs as well as mine?”

The Doo-Doo, who was only a little larger than Rice Bird, also said:

“Eagle, those are my words too. I am only a small-small bird and would have no chance of finding food for three families. It would be better if I stayed with Rice Bird to guard your family while you hunt.”

Eagle agreed to let the two small birds take turns in guarding her nest of eggs, but she reminded them that a large snake lived nearby.

“As fast as I lay my eggs this snake sneaks up and eats them, “Eagle said. “I’ve just laid a new batch, and that old snake will try to get them too. But you keep watch, you two young birds, and I’ll teach you a little song to sing whenever you find my nest in danger. No matter where I am I shall always hear this song and come at once. The song is this:

“Danger to your nest Eagle; Come home to your nest, Eagle; Come at once and swiftly or you’ll lose your eggs.”

Thereafter Eagle would go searching for food all through the day, and Doo-Doo and Rice Bird took turns at guarding her nest. Rice Bird was quick and intelligent, and several times her shrill voice brought Eagle home in time to save her eggs from the hungry snake.

But Doo-Doo was an ugly and lazy bird with a blunt, cracked voice. When her turn cam to guard Eagle’s eggs she would sleep until the snake was just about to take the eggs, and only then would she awake and sing the eagle-song.

Three times Rice Bird warned her, but Doo-Doo took no notice.

One day when Eagle was hunting, and it was Doo-Doo’s turn to watch the next, the snake crawled up and swallowed all the eggs while Doo-Doo was asleep. As the snake was gliding away Doo-Doo awoke. She found the eggs were missing and began to sing the eagle-song, but now it was too late.

Eagle flew in at great speed, and at a glance she saw her eggs had gone. For a little while she searched wildly under the tree and in the bushes, but in vain. She was so angry she forgot the friendship between herself and Doo-Doo — She swooped on her lazy friend and tore her to pieces.

From that day onward eagles have made war on doo-doos, but they still love and protect the little black and yellow rice birds.

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Folktales

How Fisher-Bird Gained His Colors

One day a woman was gathering palm nuts in the forest then she fell from a tree and hurt herself so badly she could not walk. As she lay on the ground in pain Green Pigeon alighted on a nearby branch.

“Pigeon,” cried the woman, “fly to my village and tell my people I lie here, hurt and unable to move.”

“I am too busy,” Green Pigeon answered, and flew away.

Hawk saw her lying there, and came close.

“Hawk,” said the woman, “I give you these palm nuts. Eat them, and then go to my village and tell my husband to come. I have broken bones and cannot move.”

Hawk ate the nuts, but then laughed and flew away, saying he had no time to carry messages for foolish woman. Then Fisher-bird came. In those days he was a plain and ordinary bird without any bright colors.

“I see you are hurt, Woman,” he said at once. And bring a friendly creature he added: “I will fly to your village, and tell your people to come.”

He flew to the village, and the woman’s relatives came to fetch her. Some days later, when the woman was almost well again, Fisher-bird came to see how she was.

“O Fisher-bird,” declared the grateful woman, “you are the best and most courteous of birds. I shall give you colors befitting your noble heart, so that all men know and love you.”

With dyes she used for dying cloth she painted the delighted bird in royal colors of purple, emerald and blue, and Fisher-bird wears those colors to this day. But Hawk and Green Pigeon are hunted and killed.

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Folktales

The Tale of Dove and Thunderdevil

Dove and Thunderdevil were once the best of friends, but Dove could not understand why Thunderdevil never laughed. No matter how excited and amusing the conversation might be, he would merely smile a little and then stop. Dove asked him what the reasons was for this.

“I rarely laugh,” Thunderdevil said, “because my laugh is coarse and mush too noisy. If I laughed you would be terrified — you would think the world was bursting open.”

“You are my friend,” said Dove, “and I am your friend; I would be happy if you laughed.”

Thunderdevil never laughed. There came a time when Dove invited him to dine in his home, and when preparing the meal he remembered he had a quantity of palm wine.

“Ha!” he thought. “If I can persuade Thunderdevil to drink palm wine, I’m sure I can make him laugh.”

He brought the palm wine and poured it into an old cooling jar his grandmother had as a girl, and stirred it with a golden spear. Dove’s grandfather had owned the golden spear, and with it he had conquered all his enemies.

On the appointed day Thunderdevil came; the two friends dined well, and made merry with large quantities of palm wine. The conversation became unusually exciting and amusing, and Thunderbird was happy with the wine. He eyed the gleaming golden spear and asked:

“Dove, where did you get that golden spear?”

“Oh, it belonged to my grandfather,” Dove said proudly. “He made it out of pure gold, and with it he conquered all his enemies.”

The idea of a Dove conquering anyone — and with a golden spear — was too much for Thunderdevil. He burst out laughing. The house exploded. Dove found himself enveloped in a violent burst of noise, and was hurled through the air to some distant place. He fell to earth in a foreign land and lay swooning on the ground for seven days.

From that time until now Dove has never built another house, and he has never talked again to Thunderdevil. All night and often during daylight hours he may be found on forest trails and roads, searching always and everywhere for his grandfather’s golden spear.

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Folktales

How Piso Lake Began

In the days of Long Ago there was a certain small watering hole where doves went to bathe, and the Vai people who lived near that place called it Piling See, or Doves’ Hole. More and more doves came to sing and splash, so that the pool became crowded and other holes were made.

Every time the Big Rains came the holes would become larger, and at length they were all joined together as a lake. Through many generations the name Piling See has turned into Piso.

The lake has several islands. The smallest one is known as Poo, meaning Pigeon, for the colony of pigeons which lives there.

Kafatin Island is in the middle of the lake; a certain Vai source states that when canoes coming down to the sea reached this island the crews would rejoice, for half the trip was done; they would exclaim ‘Kafa’, meaning ‘Halfway’. However, the Bureau of Folkways points out that Kaifa in Vai means ‘over and above’, or ‘to cheat a person’, so this theory of name-origin is open to doubt.

The father of the islands is a sacred island named Boeba, ‘Owner of the World’. Boeba moves about the lake as it wishes, and if a canoe chances to be on the lake when the island moves, canoe and crew are lost forever in the waters.

If anyone points a finger at this sacred island he dies at once. No canoes go to it, and anyone who defiles the waters near it disappears immediately. Boeba is feared and respected, and left very much alone.

Masatin Island is the largest of all and his name is from Masa, the first woman to farm on it.

In former times Piso Lake had a fine strong voice for singing songs; on peaceful evenings it would sing a soft and gentle song, but when the winds roared and lightning fired the sky the waves of Piso Lake boomed against the shore with rich bass overtones and lesser waves drummed mellow modulations.

There came a day when the Sea Goddess and the sea, which had no voice, begged the nearby lake to lend its song so that the Goddess might be properly mourned. The lake consented, and her song was transferred to the sea.

But the song was so sweet and beautiful it revived the ailing Sea Goddess, and then the cunning sea refused to give it back, declaring she had borrowed it to mourn the death of the Goddess and would not give it back until the Goddess died.

So Piso Lake sings no more, but her song is heard throughout the breadth of oceans, causing men to wonder at the multitude of doves which swam and sang in the water-hole so long ago.

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Folktales

How Hare Made a Fool of Leopard

Leopard and Hare each fell in love with lady-Deer, and sought her hand in marriage. Hare was walking with lady-Deer in the forest when Leopard came along; and lady-Deer, who thought Hare was a rather small and unimportant animal, said:

“Oh, I see my lover coming.”

“Then what of me?” cried Hare. “Do you not love me?”

“No,” said lady-Deer, “I do not. Leopard is a gallant and daring animal, you are not.”

“Leopard is a horse! Would you marry a beast of burden, a slave-animal?”

“How is he a horse?”

“He is my horse. He carries me about. He is my slave.”

Lady-Deer did not believe him. Hare went away and bent his head with Leopard in a secret conversation. “I have been talking with lady-Deer,” he said, “and she admits she loves you, but says she could not marry such a fierce, proud animal. She fears you. I told her you had a gentle and tender heart, and that I would prove it.”

“I see,” said Leopard. “Then we must prove that I am not what I am. Go on.”

“My plan is this: you must be my horse and carry me through the town. Lady-Deer will see us, and she will think ‘Oh, what a kind and gentle animal Leopard is.’ Then she will agree to marry you.

Leopard thought about this, and then decided:

“Hare, what you say is true. It is a good idea. For one day I shall be your horse.”

“First you must give me a hamper of cassavas,” Hare said. Leopard gave him a hamper of cassavas, and then carried him around the town. Hare pretended to whip him, and pulled a rope tied around his nose. Next day Leopard went to lady-Deer, but she said:

“O Leopard, go from me. Foolish animal! Hare told me you were his horse, his slave-animal, but I refused to believe him until I saw him riding you through the town upon your back, and whipping you. Shame upon you, Leopard! I shall never speak to you again.”

Leopard was very vexed. He rushed away to find Hare. Hare ran and ran, but still Leopard followed him, and after two days he grew tired of being chased. He entered a cave he knew, and stood there with his hands pressed against the rock which formed the ceiling. He waited until Leopard entered, then cried out:

“Take care, Leopard! The ceiling is falling down. Hold up this rock a minute while I go for help, or we shall die.”

Foolish Leopard pressed his paws against the ceiling with all his strength and Hare ran away. Two raccoons came along and was Leopard there.

“Brother Leopard, why are you holding up a rock which was placed by God? Leave it be and come with us.”

Leopard saw that he had been tricked again, and went with the two raccoons. A week later Hare and his brother, Opossum (Giant Rat), captured the two raccoons. They took off their skins and tied the two naked animals to a tree, and in disguise Hare and Opossum went to Leopard’s house. Here they were received as guests, and after they had feasted Leopard gave them a sleeping room.

A rat had her babies in this room and she asked the guests to bring her some of Leopard’s food; Hare was willing to do this, but Opossum protested against such foolishness. Lady-Rat went hungry, and that night she ate the two raccoon skins while the guests were sleeping.

In the morning Leopard knocked on the door of the guest room. No one opened the door, but he heard sounds of excitement inside. He peered through a crack in the door, and he saw a strange and unexpected sight.

There was Hare dashing frantically about the room looking inside pots, tipping baskets upside down and searching everywhere for something which he could not find. And there was Opossum too, halfway down a hole which he was scrabbling in the floor. The two raccoons had disappeared. Leopard drew back from the door and held a conversation with himself.

“I put two raccoons in that room last night,” he muttered. Two raccoons. And during the night they have become something else. They have turned into Hare and Opossum. A strange thing.”

He remembered that he did not like Opossum very much, and that he did not like Hare at all. He growled a fearful “Wraagh!” and began attacking the door.

By the time he broke through the door Hare had already escaped, by pulling Opossum out of the hole by his tail and going first, under the wall and out into the forest. Leopard just managed to grasp Opossum’s tail as Opossum was about to leave, and the tail lost half it’s skin as the owner struggled free. That is why Opossum has a two-colored tail today.

When lady-Deer heard of Hare’s adventures she laughed too much, and since he was such a clever and amusing animal she agreed to marry him. Since that time Deer, Hare and Opossum have been Leopard’s enemies.

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Folktales

The Land Where No Vultures Fly

Two vultures in the east heard of the fertile lands which are Liberia today, and decided they would come and settle here. They flew west and west and further west, over rivers and mountains and plains, and in time they arrived at a town in this country.

They sat in a tree at the edge of the town, craning their naked necks to see what manner of people lived below, and how such food they had.

The well-built housed and handsome fields suggested prosperity, and when they say a woman throw a dead chicken from her window they thought it must be a prosperous place indeed. They knew that people in other lands could never afford to waste food in that way.

But as they watched a man passed by, and seeing the chicken there he picked it up and put it in his bag; and this, to the two vultures, was an evil omen.

“This would be a bad place for us to live,” said the second bird. “People are too thrifty to waste scraps.”

The two vultures passed on further west. Such birds infest the lands on every side, but have never settled on Liberian soil. 

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Folktales

How Dog Came to Live With Man

The animals of the forest agreed to hold a feast, and everyone was invited. Now, Leopard has always been the enemy of Dog, and on this occasion he bitterly objected to the idea of Dog being invited to the feast.

“Dog is an eater of dung,” he said. “A wicked and unclean animal. He has no manners, none at all, and will only shame himself if he dines in company with polite people.”

The other animals did not agree, and Dog was invited to attend the feast. When the food was ready and all the distinguished animals had assembled, Leopard slipped out to the kitchen and told the cooks not to give Dog a bone; for he knew that Dog loved bones.

When the food was served everyone was given a handsome bone packed in tender meat: everyone but Dog, who was given a bowl of soup. Dog supped hungrily at his soup, but every now and then he would pause to admire the bones the other animals had; and Leopard, knowing Dog’s weakness, went to sit beside him with a large and juicy bone.

Leopard made pleasant noises as he ate, and when he found Dog was watching he took the chance of publicly disgracing him. He threw his bone in the air. Dog leapt up to catch it. He stepped in various dishes of food, and when he had the bone he scrambled over Possum and Hare to run away and cat his bone alone. The assembled animals were surprised, but Leopard only shrugged and said:

“I told you so. Dog has no manners and has disgraced himself.”

Dog became a social outcast among the animals; they all avoided him, and his life grew so lonely that one day he left the forest and went to live with Man.

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Folktales

The Tale of Leopard’s Tail

Leopard delights in eating monkeys, and is forever devising schemes to catch them. One day when he lay in a cool place thinking, he decided to make friends with all the monkeys so that he could quietly eat them one by one.

Leopard was growing old, and could no longer climb trees easily. Therefore he went to a large mango tree where the Monkey Chief sat with his wives and family eating fruit, and began to make his talk.

When Leopard approached the tree the monkeys climbed up to the highest branches, which were too thin to bear Leopard’s weight, and from here they pelted him with rotten fruit and rude words. But Leopard raised a paw, and said:

“I come in peace, People of the Trees. In my youth I was a wild and savage animal; but now I grow old and soon will die, and before I die I wish to make friends with my enemies, and be loved instead of hated. I wish to live with you, my dear friends, and learn your jumping medicine.”

His hungry gaze fell on a plump young wife, and she shivered nervously.

“Your words are sweet,” the Monkey Chief agreed, “but your teeth, if old and yellow, are still sharp. This matter must be considered by our council. Call again tomorrow, and we will see.”

Before Leopard came again the Monkey Chief his smallest son inside a strong cane basket and securely fastened it. He placed the basket beneath the mango tree, and when Leopard came he said:

“O friendly Leopard, take this basket to your house, but do not open it. This is a test to see if we can trust you. Bring the basket here tomorrow, and we will show you our jumping medicine so that you may live with us.”

Leopard took the basket to his home. That night he and his wife talked of nothing but how they would feast on monkey meat, and grow fat in their old age.

The little monkey in the basket heard everything.

When morning came Leopard carried the basket back to the mango tree; the Monkey Chief took it into the tree and learned of the murderous plan his little son had overheard.

The Chief thought deeply for some moments: he had suspected some such trick all along, for Leopard is wicked and has no friends, and never will have any. With two strong wives the Chief descended to a branch quite near the ground, and said:

“O Leopard, if you live with us you must eat the things we eat. Can you eat this banana?”

He tossed a banana to Leopard. Leopard sniffed and knew at once it was not leopard-food, but he managed to swallow it down, skin and all, despite the nasty taste.

The Monkey Chief threw him a mango; Leopard bit the thing and broke a tooth on the nut inside, but he pretended nothing had happened and he swallowed both tooth and mango.

Next there was a chili, a hot red chili which caused poor Leopard’s mouth to burn, as he thought, to red-hot coals of fire. He gasped and choked, and tears rolled from his eyes.

“O Leopard,” the Monkey Chief announced, almost bursting his sides with stifled laughter, “I see you can eat the things we monkey-people eat; now we must show you our jumping medicine. To jump and swing as we monkeys do you must learn to use your tail, so raise your tail and we will show you how this thing is done.”

Leopard raised his tail, and the chief and his two wives firmly grasped it. In a moment they had pulled Leopard up into the air and knotted his tail about a branch: then all of them danced above him hurling rotten fruit and insults, while Leopard gnashed his teeth and swung in helpless fury.

“Swing, O Leopard, swing!” they cried. “Your crooked tale has earned a crooked tail!”

That is why Leopard’s tail swings to and fro when he is angry.

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Folktales

How Eagle, Dog, and Otter Wooed a Maiden

Eagle, Dog and Otter fell in love with the same maiden, and begged her mother to decide which one of them should have her. Soon after this the father of the girl disappeared while hunting in the forest; he did not return. The mother of the girl said to the three animals:

“Go find my husband, and bring him back to me. The one of you who does this shall wed my daughter.”

So Eagle, Dog and Otter set off to the hunter’s aid, and although no one knew where he might be Dog’s clever nose followed his trail until they all came to a forest pool. The hunter’s footsteps led into the pool, but did not come out again.

“He has been captured by the Water People,” Otter said. “I will see what I can do.” He dived into the pool, and underwater among the reeds he found the Water People, who held the hunter prisoner.

“What will you do with the hunter?” Otter asked.

“We are about to eat him,” the Water people said.

“Hunters are not good to eat,” Otter said rather firmly.

“Isn’t there something else you would rather have?”

“Well, monkeys are quite nice, but we can never catch them.”

“Why?”

“Because the hunter is a friend of mine. I would prefer you to eat something else.

The Water People talked among themselves, and then said:

“If you bring us a hundred monkeys, we will give you the hunter.”

Otter knew he could never catch a hundred monkeys. He doubted if he could even catch one.

“Would a hundred fish do?” he asked hopefully.

“We’re tired of eating fish. We want monkeys. A hundred.”

Otter sadly climbed out of the pool and told the news to Dog and Eagle. Dog gazed up into the trees and wondered how anyone could catch a hundred bounding, bouncing monkeys. If it had been lizards, or rats, or even cats. . . But Eagle, a powerful bird, took flight and with the aid of his clan hovered about snatching monkeys from the treetops.

This caused quite a disturbance in the forest; groups of monkeys fled chattering excitedly from tree to tree while eagles soared and swooped above them, and one by one a hundred protesting monkeys were dropped.

Splash! Splash! into the pool to the water People. The hunter was rescued, and of course agreed that the person who had rescued him could wed his daughter.

Clever Dog had followed his trail far into the forest to the pool.Otter had found him and arranged his ransom with the Water People.Eagle had arranged the capture of a hundred monkeys.Which of these three animals deserved the hunter’s daughter most?

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Folktales

The Cry of the Sea-Gull

A beautiful maiden called Nya lived in a village by the sea, well loved by all her people and desired by every young man among her people. She also loved her people, and would willingly have married but could not decide which man she loved the most.

One day a young man came from the east, riding the sea in a slim canoe and singing a happy song, and although he was neither handsome or rich, or famous, Nya fell in love and begged him to marry her: for the minds of women are fanciful and beyond men’s understanding.

The stranger saw her beauty and took her for his wife; he dwelt in that land with her for several moons, and she was well content.

There came a day when the south wind blew and the song of the sea was loud: the stranger walked on the shore alone, listening to the voice of the wind and the song of the restless waves. He took his canoe to the water and paddled out to sea.

That evening Nya called to him, but he could not be found. Men had seen him go with his canoe. She went to the sea and called his name, but all in vain for the south wind snatched at her words and tossed them away inland: and the stranger never returned.

Nya lay on the sands and sobbed, and died of a broken heart. Her spirit became a sea-gull, and when the south wind blows her lonely cry is heard as she calls to her lover who went away to sea.